Empire of the Vampire
Book One
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4.7 • 310 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
From New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff comes Empire of the Vampire, the first illustrated volume of an astonishing new dark fantasy saga.
From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.
It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.
Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.
Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:
The Holy Grail.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A rancorous antihero narrates a chilling tale of revenge in this unfocused dark fantasy from Kristoff (Aurora Burning). Gabriel de León is the Last of the Silversaints, a devout brotherhood of half-vampires, half-humans who have sworn their lives to the Church in defense against the coldbloods, or full-blooded vampires, who have hunted their lands for decades. After the coldbloods arrest Gabriel for crimes against them, their ruler, the Undying Empress, sends her historian to chronicle his life before his execution. Gabriel offers an acrimonious recollection of how he earned his reputation as "the most fearsome swordsman who ever lived" and why he abandoned his faith to devote himself to killing the Forever King, the coldblood who set him on a monstrous path for vengeance. But despite his blackhearted hatred, there's one thing that gives Gabriel pause in his relentless quest for revenge—the crusade for the Holy Grail, which represents the last hope for men. Kristoff's multifaceted exploration of morality is enticing and complex, but the narrative misses the mark with unsteady pacing and a proliferation of melodrama. There's enough action and bloodshed here to please Kristoff's diehard fans, but the choppy storytelling make this one to skip for more casual readers.
Customer Reviews
I love Kristoff so much
This man will make the most pretentious and excruciating read end up being my favorite book. Every. Time. He looks for an unwritten “writing rules” and dedicates whole books to breaking them. You can’t have a whole book in quotes? Wrong. You can’t have footnotes on every page? Wrong. You can’t tell a story completely out of order and still have readers follow along? Wrong. He’s crazy. I love all his characters. Everyone dies. The usual.
Amazing
Picked this up during the Black Friday sale and wow, I’m so happy I did! Amazing world building, characters you love and hate, and most importantly… vampires! If this is on your TBR bump it to the top!
Profoundly amazing!
This is ONE OF the best books I’ve EVER read and I’m an avid reader! I’m not huge on the vamp trope but he does it right and makes it a truly popping story! I LOVE this book!